Badshot Lea get revenge for earlier league defeat
Ascot United were edged out 1-0 by Badshot Lea in the Velocity Trophy second round on Tuesday evening. In a game where the tempo wasn’t matched by the quality, Adam New’s header midway through the second half sealed it for the hosts.
Ascot had already won this season’s league encounter on The Baggies’ turf one month earlier, and for instalment number two manager Jamie Tompkins duly shuffled his starting line-up bringing in Dan Bailey, Sammy Balogun and Jay Welch for Harry Tucker, Harry Grant and Jordan Ajanlekoko. The question would be how they would perform this time, especially so against a side who had won all four games since losing to Ascot on Bank Holiday Monday.
In an energetic first half, the home side created most of the chances, the first of which saw Hugo Sobte save with his feet from Anwar Ceesay after he had escaped the attentions of Ryan Case.
Big defender Adam New glanced agonisingly wide from Max Herbert’s free kick after Josh Edwards had been penalized for hand ball, but they came even closer in the 40th minute when New’s close range header brought the best out of Sobte, who reacted quickly with a strong hand to palm the ball over the bar.
The closest Ascot came was a minute later when Welch clattered the crossbar from Case’s right-wing cross when it looked easier to score; 0-0 as the sides changed ends.
The home side looked like they would score, or at least force a shot, just after the hour mark only for Dan Bailey’s brilliant last-ditch tackle to deny Mohammad Regragui as he shaped to shoot in a decent position.
But they would soon get their goal, New rising unmarked to crash home a 66th minute header directly from a left-wing corner.
Harry Laflin, one of all five used visiting substitutes, made a positive impact from the bench and he forced Harry Cawdron into action with a deflected effort that the home’ keeper smothered just two minutes after Ascot had gone behind.
But Sobte was the busier of the two keepers as he saved Nick Medcraft’s deflected effort and then denied Regragui again after Billy Oram had played him in.
The closest Ascot got was Brendan Matthew’s glancing header just wide from Harry Grant’s cross in the dying embers, but there was still time for Regragui to miss a sitter at the other end in added time when he fired over at the far post with a gaping net in front of him.
It didn’t matter, the home side earnt their win, and Ascot will go again this weekend.
What’s next for Ascot?
The Yellamen are back in league action this Saturday with the visit of Sutton Common Rovers – which will be only their fifth league game in thirteen matches – and as yesterday’s FA Trophy draw pitted them with Isthmian Premier Division side Whitehawk, East Brighton is the destination for yet another cup tie one a week later. It’ll be at least November before the Yellamen will have played more league matches than cup matches this season, but it’s a nice challenge to navigate even if their Velocity Trophy campaign never gathered speed.
Ascot United: Sobte, Bailey, Edwards (Gater 57’), McCormack, Balogun (H. Grant 71’), Welch (Ajanlekoko 71’), Matthew, Lahtinen-Kalsi, Lalustani (Laflin 57’), Killeen (Morgan 57’), Case.
Entertainment: 2
Reporter’s Star Man: Hugo Sobte (Ascot United). Brilliant distribution and key saves to keep his side in touch.
Away fans (estimate): 15
